Splatoon: Return of Humanity
by SoftWare Publishing
Summary: A self-insert story. This story takes place in the same universe as A Different Path and The Inkling in Blue. Those characters will appear in later chapters. A lone human is revived in the cryo facility/submarine he awakens in. Using the technological training he received, as well as his trusty robot sidekick, SoftWare must learn to survive in a world of ink, and restore humanity.
1. Day One

**Special thanks to ARandomInterloper for giving me this idea. Please note, he's not involved with this in any way. This is a self-insert, obviously. It's where I stand in the two Cass universes I've been working on. More information will come through the story itself.**

**NOTE: I do not own Splatoon, or any of the elements I use from other franchises. Rated T for swearing. You have been warned.**

Splatoon

Return of Humanity

Chapter One

Day One

"_Medical log entry #5,058. Subject in question: Cryogenic tube occupant #1187. Vitals signs stable, heart _

_condition excellent, brain activity normal. Preparing for thawing procedure."_ A robot stood in front of the

tube, checking the systems. Once it was satisfied, it pressed the release button. The door opened, freeing

the occupant. The robot used two of its six arms to carry the occupant to a medical bunk for post-

cryogenic recovery. Hours later, the occupant began to awaken. Opening his eyes, he looked around, and

saw the robot, and panicked. "Holy-!" He landed on the floor. The robot offered a hand. "_My apologies, _

_sir. I did not mean to startle you._" The young man got up. "Who are you?" It answered, "_My identification _

_registry is Matrix, and I am designed to watch over this facility and protect the occupants within, as well _

_as assist the new captain that was chosen, which is you, sir._" Shawn got up. "Please try not to scare the

crap out of me." Surprisingly, the drone looked apologetic. "_My apologies, sir._" He sighed. "You can call

me Shawn." The robot's response made him a little irritated. "_My apologies, sir, but it wouldn't be _

_proper._" Sighing, he looked around. "How many others were revived?" "_Just you, sir._" Glaring at the

robot, he asked, "Why?" "_First, we need to be sure that there is an area of the surfaced land to build a _

_colony, then we need to be sure where the other facilities are, sir._" He sighed. "Damn. What are the

power levels at?" "_Auxiliary power levels are at 100%. Main power is offline, due to the amount of time _

_we've been underwater, sir." _Facing Matrix, he said, "Underwater? For how long?" "_12,000 years, sir._" He

looked at him. "12,000 YEARS?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" _"Sir, I suggest you calm down. You are in no _

_condition to have a temper tantrum at the moment._" Sighing, he said, "How soon can we reach the

surface on auxiliary power?" "_Thirty minutes, sir. I can also bring us close to land._" "Do it. I'd like to

explore at some point." The robot simply nodded. "_I've prepared a workspace for you, sir, but due to the _

_main power being offline, the residential levels are inaccessible at this time._" "Then I'll use the workspace

for living quarters. Get a cot in there, as well as a sleeping bag and a pillow." "_Yes, sir._" Entering the

workspace, which was in a room with some assembly arms, Shawn sat down at the desk that Matrix had

prepared for him, and accessed the log system. "Shawn Hodgson's personal log, Day One. I was revived

today, and given a briefing to the Kalos Facility's current power status, as well as my new status as the

captain of the facility. I'll continue to fill this log for future reference for the descendants of the proposed

colony." Realizing he needed a call sign, he thought it over for a minute. Making up his mind, he said,

"SoftWare, out."

**A/N**

**I did warn you it was a self-insert. If anyone has any questions, you can either leave them in **

**reviews, or PM me. Note: Complaints must be PM'd.**


	2. Further Progress

**Please note, this chapter mainly consists of more journal entries. Please accept that.**

Chapter Two

Further Progress

"_SoftWare's private log, Day Two. The Kalos Facility rose out of the ocean last night, and Matrix _

_is working on activating the solar panels to recharge the main power. At this time, the power levels are at _

_14%. Not high enough to power the long range scanners to see if we can find the other Facilities, but we _

_still have enough to use the food replicators for now. In the meantime, because I'd like to explore the _

_surface for a bit, I'm working on designs for a special project._"

"_SoftWare's private log, Day Three. Matrix and I successfully built the technological suit I _

_designed. If I'm honest, it looks like the Mark One Iron Man suit from 16,000 years ago, but it still turned _

_out okay. I'll test it out tomorrow. Meanwhile, the power levels in the facility have risen to 20% for main _

_power. We can use the lifts now, as a result, so I went up to the bridge to check on things. Everything is _

_intact._"

"_SoftWare's private log, Day Four. I felt bad for Matrix, so before I left, I made another robot _

_to help him out. It didn't turn out as well as I had hoped, as all it's good for right now is cleaning the _

_floor, fire control, and bringing me my nutrition shakes. I let Matrix name it, and he called it 'Bob'. Never _

_again will I let Matrix name something. I explored the area around the bay we surfaced at, and found _

_nothing of interest nearby. I'll expand my exploration tomorrow._"

"_SoftWare's private log, Day Five. To make up for 'Bob', I made another robot, that looks like _

_Matrix, but has a female voice program. I named her Wednesday. She's very helpful to Matrix while I'm _

_out working on my exploration. Speaking of, I found what looks like a settlement not far from here. I _

_tried to scan it, but for some reason, I can't scan anything underground, which is where I detected the _

_life readings. As an extra bonus, the power levels are at 30% now, so we're getting there."_

Donning the Mark One armor, Shawn attached the jetpack to it. Since the Matrix Reactor used

in the suit was a Mark One reactor, which wasn't designed for sustained flight, he had the jetpack for

flight, and it was powered by a Mark Two reactor, which gave him a thirty minute flight duration. He'd

thought ahead and put a covering over the reactors in both the jetpack and the suit.

Arriving at the settlement he found, he saw four individuals on the surface, with very odd

weapons. They noticed him, and fired. Purple- colored liquid shot at him, and landed on the armor. Other

than ruining the paint job, they did no damage. Facing them, he ignited the wrist flamethrowers, waiting

for them to make another move. They pointed their weapons, which he took as an act of aggression. He

fired some flames at a nearby tree, burning it through and through. That clearly frightened them, and

they backed off a bit, yelling in a language he'd never heard before. They transformed into octopus-like

creatures and swam off. Another thing he'd noticed, instead of hair, they had tentacles on their heads,

with who he identified as the leader of the group having black tentacles, while the rest had reds. Once

they were gone, he fired the jetpack, and returned to the facility. Arriving, he checked the integrity, and

made a decision. "Matrix?" The robot faced him. "_Yes, sir?_" "I'd like to start another project, index as

Mark Two." "_May I ask why, sir?_" "I'd rather avoid killing if I can. Let's make a real Iron Man suit, with a

Mark Two reactor, and a targeting system." _Yes, sir._" Shawn sat at the desk.

"_SoftWare's private log, Day Six. I've encountered an unidentified species. They look like _

_humanoids, but instead of hair, they have tentacles on their heads. Also, they can shift into what appears _

_to be an octopus form. I'll set up scanners in the settlement so that I can scan their biology, see what I _

_can find out about them. In the meantime, I'll be working on a Mark Two suit, with advanced weapons _

_systems, sustained flight, and a targeting system. SoftWare, out._"

**A/N**

**Any complaints about this, can be PM'd to me. If you don't want to, do NOT leave your **

**complaints in a review, or else.**


	3. Rematch and Upgrade

**I'm amazed how many reviews this story is getting. Also, there were two guests who had **

**conflicting opinions of how humanity would fare against Inklings and Octolings in a fight. **

**Here's what Inklings have going for them: They don't have bones, which means they can take **

**high falls, they can swim in ink, which humans can't, and they can respawn during Ink Battles. **

**Here's what they have going against them: Their weapons are laughable, compared to **

**humanity's. We have them hopelessly, hilariously,** outmatched** in this department. Even without **

**sci-fi, our weapons can KILL, while theirs can only Splat. While they can shift into their Squid **

**or Octopus forms to dodge our attacks, we can track their movements in their ink and take a **

**shot when they pop out. Okay, needed to get that out of the way. Here we go.**

Chapter Three

Rematch and Upgrade

"_Day Seven. The Mark Two armor is complete, and to be honest, it looks like the Mark Five armor Iron _

_Man built. Unlike the Mark One, this armor can fly on its own, and has more advanced weaponry. While _

_Matrix continues reenergizing the Facility, I'm going to take it out on a test flight tomorrow."_

Shawn walked out of the docking door, and fired the thrusters. The Mark Two soared through the sky,

and Shawn flew around the Kalos Facility, scanning it for hull damage. Finding none, he smiled, then

noticed something. Four individuals were in a tower-like structure and seemed to be up to something. He

moved closer.

(Recommended music- Skillet- I Want to Live [Wait for the asterisk])

"Captain, it's been two days since we saw that thing, and it hasn't returned. Maybe it's not coming back."

The Elite faced the Basic soldier. "Even so, we have to keep an eye out for it. If we see nothing for the

next five days, we'll alert Commander Traegar, and see what she has to say. For now, keep your

mouth _shut_ and your eyes open. Am I clear?" The soldier nodded. The other Basic spoke up. "Captain, we

have incoming. It looks like the first one, but it's different. The power levels detected are significantly

higher." The Elite faced the unidentified warrior. "Alert the Commander, and prepare for battle."

Shawn watched as the individual he guessed was the leader spoke to the others. They were soldiers,

clearly, but their weapons looked like squirt guns now that he had a better look at them. He killed the

thrusters, and landed in front of them. * "Matrix, engage universal translator." The bot responded,

"Translator active, sir." Clearing his throat, the human spoke. "Hello." They looked at each other, then

back at him. Then they opened fire. The liquid collided uselessly against the suit, disappearing almost

immediately. He could now understand what they were saying.

"Captain, he didn't Splat!" The Elite grimaced. She did a hand gesture, just in case this creature could

understand them, and dived to the side. Her troopers fired their Inkzookas, the shots causing him to get

pushed back a bit, but doing no damage. '_What is this creature?'_ She shifted into her Octopus form, and

swam through her ink, getting behind him, and shifted out, drawing her knife. '_Even armor can't protect _

_from a well-placed thrust._'

Shawn calmly took each shot, despite being pushed back a bit, before firing a repulsor, knocking one of

the weapons from a soldier's hand. The soldier, who appeared to be female, paled in fear. He spoke up. "I

don't want to fight any of you. Let's talk this out." As he said that, something collided with the left side of

the neck of the suit, and the targeting system went offline. Navigation was still active, but it wouldn't help

him in a fight. He shook the leader off of him, and she landed in front of her troops, getting back up.

"Captain, what did you do?" The Elite grinned. "I stabbed his neck. Armor doesn't protect from a well-

placed attack with a knife." As she said this, the creature pulled the knife out of the neck and tossed it

aside. It landed on the edge of the walkway they were on. She paled. "Captain, what do we do now?" She

sighed. "I just stabbed him with the sharpest knife I had. All it did was scratch the armor. He doesn't

even look phased by it."

Shawn disabled the translator, then spoke up. "Matrix, damage assessment." The bot spoke. "Mark Two

structural integrity is at 98%, sir. You are in no immediate danger." He sighed. "Can you repair the

targeting system remotely?" Matrix was silent for a few moments. "No, sir. Repairs must be initiated in

the Kalos Facility." Shawn grimaced. "Damn it. Got a lucky blow, then."

"Why isn't he attacking?" The Elite thought it over for a minute. "I must've done something to the armor

when I stabbed it. It must be a technological suit of armor, and I took out one of the primary systems."

The first Basic faced her. "Is that good?" The Elite faced her. "We'll have to wait and see."

Shawn thought his options over. "This fight isn't worth continuing. I'm coming back." He took off,

surprising the soldiers below him. "Matrix, scan those soldiers. I want to know more about them and their

biology, including how the leader got around me without setting off the proximity alert." Arriving at the

Facility, as the suit was being removed from his body, Shawn faced Matrix. "Repair the damage and

ready the assembly arms. We need to find a way to keep them from taking out the targeting system

again." Matrix nodded. "Yes, sir."

**A/N**

**Now, my explanation for this chapter. Something I always noticed with Tony's suits is that he **

**never puts any kind of shield into his suit until the Mark 50. I'll explain the upgraded suit, the **

**Mark Three, next chapter. Now, the flaw of the Mark Two armor is that the Elite Octoling got **

**around him and cut the power cable for the targeting system. Okay, I'll stop the techno talk.**


	4. Discovery

**I'm going to start doing something different with these introductions to the chapters. I'm **

**going to put the so-called "Top Review of the Last Chapter" into this before getting to the **

**actual content, so we can clear things up. God, I sound like Tony Stark now.**

**The Lore-Keeper's review**

_I'm very sorry for my previous review. I understand how it came off as overly aggressive and _

_argumentive. I apologise. I just get very passionate about my beliefs, and even though I still _

_disagree with your ideas on Inkling weapon lethality, I respect your decision and opinion. You are _

_the author, and I am only one reader. After all, this story is still rather decent._

_I look forward to the next chapter. Keep it up._

**My response**

**I accept your apology, and I want you to understand something very important about **

**Inkling and Octoling weapons. I'm not trying to be mean or force my opinion on you, I **

**just think you should know: No matter what weapon they use, it always shoots ink, **

**even the Specials. No matter what, ink cannot harm humans in any physical way, **

**except by getting your clothes dirty, which would do no actual harm to a human being. **

**If you're self-conscious about keeping your clothes clean, your ego would be crushed, **

**but again, no physical harm. I hope you understand, and I'm sorry if that came across **

**as mean. I'm glad you're enjoying the story, and I'm not trying to abuse any power at **

**my disposal (except creativity. I'll abuse that ability to my heart's content. LOL)**

Chapter Four

Discovery

(Octo Canyon Central Dome)

Sector Commander Julia Traegar stood in her office, waiting for Rosaline to come in. The Elite and

her squad had fought the unidentified individual, who they confirmed was wearing some sort of

high-tech body armor. A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. "Enter." Rosaline

walked over, head held low. "Good. Now we can discuss this. You said you managed to cut the

armor's neck, but it wasn't a lethal wound?" Rosaline nodded. "Y-Yes, Commander. I think I also

damaged the suit's systems a little."

Julia sighed. "You're the best Elite in Octo Canyon, Rosaline." The Elite trembled a bit, afraid of

what was coming next. "If you couldn't defeat it, I doubt any of them could." Julia looked at a

spot behind her desk, where her rapier was. "Inform the control room that they're to scan for this

creature, and alert me when it returns." Rosaline nodded. "Yes, Commander." Facing her, Julia

added, "I also want your squad to assist me in the next confrontation with it." Rosaline saluted.

"Yes, Commander." Julia nodded, satisfied. "Dismissed."

As the Elite left, Julia looked at a picture of herself and DJ Octavio. Since she'd discovered the

truth about her side of the family, she felt guilt as to how her grandmother had treated him. "I

will make it right, Your Majesty. I swear it."

(Kalos Facility)

Shawn looked at the results for Matrix's scanning of the creatures he encountered the other day.

They shared the DNA of the ancient octopus, which had been believed to be extinct in his time

12,000 years ago. Further scans of their public database, which Matrix had hacked into in

seconds, showing poor security on their part, revealed that the creatures called themselves

Octolings.

Their bodies, unlike humans, were primarily made of ink, and had no bones. He also learned that

the ones with black-colored tentacles were called Elites, and were captains in their military.

Purple-colored tentacled Octolings were Advanced, sergeants. The average red color was for

Basics, the foot soldiers.

As he read more, he realized just how well he had them outmatched. The only true weapons that

were a threat to him were their knives, which he was taking measures to prevent that from

happening again. "Sir, the Mark Three is complete." Getting up, he said, "Let's test the energy

shields." Matrix answered, "At once, sir."

Donning the armor, which looked like Iron Man's Mark 41 suit, but with a cover over the reactor

slot, he stepped in front of Matrix and Wednesday, who powered the blaster pistols they'd found

in the armory, and fired ten shots each. The shots collided with the shields, causing no damage

to the suit itself. "Okay. Cease fire." He looked at the shield integrity. "Armor shielding at 90%.

Okay, try the throwing knives." The twelve knives bounced off of the shields, and Shawn grinned.

"Shielding at 89%. We've done it."

**A/N**

**Seems like a fine note to end on. I would like anyone who reviews to tell me what you **

**think of the reactor cover, and of the full armor energy shielding. I'm amazed Stark **

**never thought of that.**


	5. Bob's Day

**Well, here is the review I have selected for today.**

**Cages21 writes:**

**I love the shields! I'm still freaking out about the new suit!**

**Oh, cool chapter by the way could use longer chapters but then again it takes 4 hours to Wright mine.**

**Answer:**

**Well, thank you. I appreciate that somebody other than me thinks the energy shielding is a good idea. As for using longer chapters, I try to keep **

**within a 500 to 1,000 word range so that I don't make the chapters too large. I have gone over the 1,000 range in the past, but not by much. I used **

**to make my chapters very short, but I was just starting out then.**

Chapter Five

Bob's Day

As the Mark Three armor was attached to his body, Shawn kept his gaze on the screen, reading the information he had acquired from the Octarian Database.

Apparently, another race had evolved into existence, but this one had come from the squid. He decided to engage a quick scanning of their city, which wasn't far off,

and see what he could find. As he began to walk towards the deck with the airlocks, Matrix spoke in his helmet. "_Sir, the Kalos Facility's robotic speaker is offline. It _

_must be repaired._" Shawn grimaced. "It must be defective. I'll have to replace it. Have Bob meet me in the engine room." "_Yes, sir._"

When Shawn entered the engine room, Bob was there, wiggling his arm in excitement. "Bob, I just need you to monitor the data conduit stream." When Bob twirled

his fingers, Shawn sighed. "Pretend it's a taco." That made him happy. Sighing, Shawn faced the speaker podium, and said, "If you see anything wrong with the, taco

beam, just let me know." Bob nodded his arm, then rolled over. Shawn picked up the defective speaker control, and faced Bob. "Ready, Bob? I'm about to install the

new control!" Bob nodded his arm. Pressing the button, Shawn began the installation, and was shocked when the device started to spew smoke.

"Shit!" He leaped away, and watched as it exploded. Sighing, and grateful there was no other damage, he faced Bob. "Bob, what did you do?!" The robot made no

reply. Shawn sighed. "All you had to do was just-! Bob?" He tapped the robot, and it fell over. "Oh, for-. Can you hear me?" There was no reply. "Oh, I'll have to get

another speaker control device, and then I'll fix you." He approached the elevator, and pressed the comm button. "Matrix, I need to go to the equipment room." There

was no reply. "Sir, my program is still in the Mark Three." Shawn sighed. "Wednesday?" Matrix spoke up. "She cannot hear you without the speaker control being

active."

"Damn it. I'll have to-." The elevator door opened. "Um... Matrix?" The robot's voice answered, "I could not have done it, sir. Wednesday could not have heard you,

and Bob is offline. There is no possible explanation as to how that happened." Shawn shrugged and entered the elevator. "Equipment room." Nothing happened.

Shawn sighed. "A glitch?" "Say please!" Shawn jolted. He didn't know that voice. "Who is this?" The voice spoke again. "Bob." That got Shawn's attention. "What? You

can-?" Then he realized. "Wait a minute... You're in the robotic speaker system?" The robot spoke up again. "Uh huh." "You're the new control?" "I guess so..."

Shawn sighed. "Bob, get out of there and back into your body." "Okay. Sheesh." After some grunting, Bob spoke again. "I can't." Shawn noticed that the data conduit

wasn't functioning. "Hmm... The data conduit looks damaged... You're trapped in there until I can repair it." Bob spoke up. "Here you go!" The elevator doors closed

and Shawn waited until they arrived at the equipment room. Gathering the new speaker control, as well as tools to repair the data conduit, Shawn spoke up. "Okay.

Engine room." When they arrived, Shawn got to work. Once the conduit was repaired, he was able to remove Bob from it, and into his own body.

Facing the robot, Shawn spoke again. "Now, you go up to the workshop and sweep up." Bob nodded his arm and rolled off. Facing Wednesday, who he had picked up

in the equipment room, he told her, "Okay, keep your eye on the data stream while I install the new speaker control." Wednesday nodded. "You got it, boss."

**A/N**

**This chapter was inspired by Invader Zim. Don't ask. Anyway, I'm not sure when the next update will be.**


	6. Truth and Ideals

**Firstly, I do owe everyone an explanation. This story actually uses elements from THREE franchises, not two. You know that it's **

**set in Splatoon, the first franchise. I'm using Marvel elements, the second franchise. What is the third, you may ask? I've **

**referenced it multiple times up to this point in this story: The Kalos Facility. The word Kalos isn't of my invention. It's actually a **

**place in a very specific franchise: The Kalos Region in Pokémon. This story has all three of these franchises keyed together, **

**making this an AU of Infinity War in a way.**

**Now, for the review of the day.**

**ZED147 (I hope I spelled that right) writes:**

**"****Bob is Gir I love it! This story is amazing I've been a big fan of humans returning to the world of Splatoon for a long **

**time and I must admit this is the best story I've read about "Humans return". Thank you so much this is actually **

**inspiring me to make my own Splatoon human fanfic though I'll make them advanced I'm not going to go full iron man **

**(although I must admit that's clever). But to put things in Perception inklings and Octolings only copied most of our own **

**tech and such the only thing they have that we don't are resplendent points ( which we probly could destroy) so we're **

**like From Asgard to them in that regard. Any way I can't wait for next chapter I hope he'll come in to contact with the **

**Squidbeack Splatoon soon I'd like to see Agent Three's face when she meets an Opponent she can't beat but he doesn't **

**wanna fight in the first place! Also just for future reference Marina from Off the Hook was the Octarian army's greatest **

**engineer ( she supposedly built or modified the octowepons) and she fantasies about what humans were like (most **

**think we were primitive but I think she knows better) and she would defiantly fangasim if she sees what you could wip **

**up... actully I think the poor things brain would melt lol any way sorry for the long review but I geuss this means you're **

**doing something right keep up the great work!"**

**Answer:**

**1- I'm glad somebody got the reference I threw into this chapter. Thank you for noticing the Gir reference.**

**2- THANK YOU SO MUCH! Your support means a lot to SoftWare Publishing (I'm the only member) and, while it's **

**impossible to get paid for writing FanFictions (as far as I'm aware), it's still nice to know that people enjoy this story!**

**3- Good luck with that story, but you'll need to make an official account first (It is free).**

**4- I do agree that most of their technology is just ours copied, but we could indeed destroy their respawn pads, making **

**us vastly superior in that circumstance.**

**5- While I do intend for SoftWare to meet the NSS, it won't be until after I get off my lazy ass and finish A Different **

**Path.**

**6- Marina would be in awe at the sight of a human before her, I agree. However, I don't think her brain will melt **

**(literally or figuratively) at the sight of a human.**

**Well, there you go. ZED, if you do get an account to make your story, feel free to message me anytime.**

Chapter Six

Truth and Ideals

(Unknown location)

In a cave not yet explored by Inklings or Octolings, two stones sat side by side. One was of a light color, the other a dark color. The

stones remained on the cave floor, unmoving, but containing something, a force not seen in this world for 12,000 years. Suddenly, the

light stone started to burn, and rise into the air. A vast inferno soon erupted into the room, scorching the cave and everything in it,

save for the dark stone.

In the fire, a shape emerged, a dragon, with blue eyes, white scales, and ram's horns. It roared at the ceiling, and the dark stone

started to crackle with electricity, and rose into the air, scattering lightning in every direction, narrowly missing the white dragon. In

the midst of the lightning, another shape appeared, a black dragon, with red eyes. The two dragons nodded to each other, and began

to dig their way out of the cave, to the surface. The time of the humans had come again.

(Kalos Facility, a few hours later)

Shawn got out of his cot upon Matrix waking him. "Sir, I am detecting two signatures digging towards the Octarian settlement. The

power levels match those of Legendary Pokémon." That got his attention. "How strong are the signatures?" Matrix faced him. "Perhaps

two of the most powerful Legendaries." Shawn made up his mind. "I'm gonna check it out. Prep Mark Three." As Matrix began

prepping the armor, Shawn opened the book of the Legendary Pokémon his uncle had given him.

Reading through it, he had an idea as to which Legendaries he was dealing with. He donned the armor, and took off towards the

coordinates, using a special signal to get the Legendaries' attention. He flew to an abandoned Inkling mine he'd found, and landed in

front of the entrance. He took a scan of the area. "Holy-!" Both Legendaries landed in front of him. He looked up at the two, both

relieved and alarmed at the fact that he was correct about who they were.

He cleared his throat and looked at the white dragon, who spoke to him. "**Shawn Hodgson, son of Joshua Hodgson.**" Shawn faced him.

"Reshiram, Legendary Pokémon of Truth." Facing the black dragon, he added, "Zekrom, Legendary Pokémon of Ideals." Looking at them both, he

asked, "Is there something you wanted to see me about?" Reshiram nodded. "**Your self-proclaimed mission, to rebuild the human **

**civilization requires great will. The will you have shown in attempting to learn about the other races that have appeared has **

**impressed us.**"

Shawn cocked his head. "Uh huh...?" Zekrom spoke up. "**It is your will that will realize your ideals.**" The two dragons began to rise into the

air, but spoke to him. "**Know that if you need our aid, we will be proud to fight alongside you in battle.**" Shawn nodded, and watched the

two Legendaries fly off, keeping his gaze on them until he could see them no more. He checked his scanners, then flew back to the Kalos Facility,

intent on continuing power restoration.

**A/N**

**Well, here is the basic timeline of this story and this universe.**

**Infinity War (Different ending in order to work with this story) (Will explain later)**

**Primal Reversion**

**The Great War of Pokémon**

**Pokémon franchise**

**Second Primal Reversion (The Great Flood that Inklings talk about, which occurred when Team Aqua was not stopped, and Kyogre **

**was not contained.)**

**Splatoon**

**Splatoon 2**

**Splatoon: Return of Humanity (Events occur alongside A Different Path and The Inkling in Blue)**

**Splatoon: A Different Path (Events occur alongside Return of Humanity and The Inkling in Blue)**

**Splatoon: The Inkling in Blue (Events occur alongside A Different Path and Return of Humanity)**


	7. Defending the Reactor

**Okay, I have to point it out: The Coronavirus. It's just that. A virus. Not the bloody apocalypse. Seriously, people, calm down. It could be a hell of a lot worse.**

Chapter Seven

Defending the Reactor

(Octo Canyon, Commander Traeger's office)

Julia Traeger sat at her desk, and looked through the reports of their encounter with the mechanized suits. Thus far, they'd encountered two of them, and Julia had no doubt that there were more. The first suit had been armed with flamethrowers, making it very dangerous. The second one had weapons that Julia had never heard of before. They seemed to fire beams of energy that knocked a soldier's weapon out of her hands. As she thought this over, a knock came at her door. "Come in."

Rosaline entered. "Commander, we've found what appears to be a ship about half a kilometer from Octo Canyon on the western border." Julia faced her, shocked. "Inkling?" Rosaline shook her head. "I don't think so, ma'am. We scanned it and didn't detect any Zapfish aboard." The Commander contemplated, and said, "Prepare a boarding party. We'll search the ship for anything we can use." Rosaline saluted. "Yes, ma'am." She left to carry out her orders.

(Kalos Facility)

Shawn peeked out from under the air carrier in the launch bay. Getting out from under it, he said, "That should do it. Try it." Matrix engaged the air carrier's lift engines, and the carrier slowly rose into the air, and Shawn grinned. "That takes care of that. What's the power status?" Matrix replied, "Power levels are now at 60%, sir." Shawn nodded. "How soon until we can use the long-range sensors?" The robot replied, "We must reach 80% before we will be able to use them, sir." Shawn nodded in understanding.

Just then, the proximity alert went off. "Sir, three small vessels are approaching the Kalos Facility. The life signs aboard are consistent with Octolings." Shawn sighed. "Probably detected the Matrix Reactor." He drew a plasma pistol, and set it to stun. "Have a plasma rifle ready in the reactor room." Matrix replied, "Yes, sir." With his pistol, Shawn ran to the reactor room, and took position between the door and the reactor. The rifle was lowered down to him, and he strapped it to his back, setting up a charging stand for his weapon charges, and waited.

(Octarian boarding ships, inbound to unidentified ship)

Julia faced her troops. "We're going to board the ship, and find anything we can use." Rosaline spoke up. "Ma'am, we're detecting a massive power reading. Much higher than any Zapfish." Julia thought that over. "Where is the source?" Rosaline showed her. "On one of the decks under the ocean level." Julia grimaced. "Well placed. If this ship has sustained any damage, we may not be able to get to it." Facing her troops, she said, "We'll search as far as we can, but if we can't get to the power source, we'll leave the ship, and monitor it, making sure that Inklings cannot board it.

The three boarding ships docked on the starboard side, and Julia noticed writing on the side of the ship, in a language she had only seen once before. "It's a human ship. That explains it." They climbed onto the deck, and made their way to the nearest door, weapons ready. Opening the door, Julia motioned, and two troops moved forward, and peeked in, aiming their weapons. "Ma'am, it doesn't look like the lights are active on this deck. We'll have to use searchlights." Julia nodded. "Proceed." Turning on their lights, they entered, beginning their search.

(Reactor room)

Shawn looked down the sights of his plasma pistol, watching the door, the only way into the reactor room. He remained silent for a moment, before asking, "Matrix, did they board?" Matrix replied, "Yes, sir. They're currently on Deck 4, which has no active lights." Shawn sighed. "How soon until they reach the door for the reactor room?" The robot replied, "At their current pace, I estimate ten minutes at the most." Shawn nodded. "Keep me posted." Wednesday spoke up. "Boss, there are thirteen Octolings." Shawn simply smirked. "They use ink weapons, Wednesday. I can take them."

(Octarian boarding party)

Julia aimed her Octo Shot forward, and nodded to Rosaline. Rosaline gestured forward, and took her squad forward, taking a peek ahead. "Ma'am, we've found what looks like a lift." Julia nodded. "We'll use it. Which deck is the power source on?" Rosaline faced her. "Deck 14, ma'am." Julia nodded. "Once we're all inside the lift, hit the button." Rosaline nodded. "Yes, ma'am." Once they were in the lift, Rosaline jumped as a voice said in their language, "Level, please." Rosaline, surprised, said, "Um, Deck 14?" The lift began to move, and Rosaline sighed in relief.

(Reactor room)

Matrix spoke up. "Sir, they've accessed a lift." Shawn sighed. "Well, that changes my plans." He faced the door again, and aimed his pistol. "How soon?" Matrix replied, "Two minutes." He aimed at the door, and waited. "Matrix, arm a force wall behind me. If I do go down, however unlikely, they cannot be allowed to access the reactor." Matrix replied, "Yes, sir." Refocusing at the door, Shawn waited, his weapon armed and ready. "Come at me. I'm ready." The door opened, and an Octoling soldier peeked in. Shawn fired a warning shot. The Octoling backed off.

(Octarian boarding party)

The soldier faced Julia. "There's someone in there, armed." Julia faced her. "What type of weapon?" The soldier replied, "I don't know. It didn't shoot ink." Julia sighed. "Did you at least see what it looks like?" She shook her head. "They fired before I could see." Julia grimaced. "We have to get in there. Everyone, run in there as fast as you can. Some of us at least might make it." They ran through, dodging several shots, and taking cover. Three Octolings had been hit, and lay on the deck, unconscious. Julia had determined that they were in no danger of dying.

Shawn activated his translator and said, "You've boarded this vessel without prior approval, an act of aggression. Leave now, and I will not pursue." Julia replied, "That power source can be used by my people." He replied, "I will not allow the technology of this Facility to be used to harm innocent people." Julia replied, "Among Inklings, there are no innocents." The young captain replied, "That's where you're wrong. I've been analyzing them. They're just kids playing around. They don't even know about your people. Therefore, they cannot be held responsible for the actions of the past."

Julia sighed. "Perhaps we can reach an arrangement." The human replied, "There will be no arrangement. You're trying to take something that doesn't belong to you. Get out of this Facility, or I'll stun all of you and leave you on the beach near the settlement. Either way, I win." Julia sighed. The human had made up his mind, clearly. She faced her troops, and said, "Return to the boats. Take the others with you. I'll join you shortly." They nodded, picked up their unconscious comrades, and left. Julia faced the human. "It was you, wasn't it?" Shawn nodded.

Julia continued. "Your concern is understandable. But I swear that we are only doing what is best for our people." Shawn's reply caught her by surprise. "Are you sure about that? Fighting a meaningless war?" She faced him, shocked. "You know of the Great Turf War?" He nodded. "Your computer firewalls could use some upgrading. I was able to access your files easily. Before I teach you how to use power without Zapfish, you must call off all of your attacks, and pursue peace with Inkopolis. The same goes for them. This fighting must end." Juila left, very concerned.

**A/N**

**And this is now updated after months.**


	8. Development

**On we go. I've been playing a bit of Alpha Sapphire lately.**

Chapter Eight

Development

(Octo Canyon)

Julia sat at her desk, thinking over her encounter with the human. His technology was far more advanced them anything she'd ever seen before. She looked at the picture of the ship the human had taken up residence in. It was clear that he would defend the power source with his life. She also knew that he was the one with the technological suits of armor. Inklings didn't have that kind of technology. She knew that after the last encounter, he would have likely found a way to prevent the use of knives. That would not work again.

A knock came on her door. "Come in." Rebecca, the head of the mining division, walked in. "Commander, we found something I think you should see." She showed her a picture, of a red creature, with claws, and a strange marking on its back. Julia looked at it for a moment, then faced Rebecca. "Where did you find this?" Rebecca replied, "Section 17, the new tunnel. One of the new recruits found the chamber it was in. We tried to scan it to determine what it was, but we couldn't get any readings. It's like it doesn't want to be scanned."

Julia thought that over, and faced the mining head. "Return to the tunnel, and await further orders." Rebecca saluted. "Yes, Commander." She left. Julia sat up, and looked in the direction of the human ship. "Perhaps he could help us with this..." Approaching her door, she pressed a thumb to her comm. "Prepare the communication disk, open frequency. I would like to send out a message, personally." The operator replied, "Yes, ma'am." With that done, the Sector Commander walked to the control room, and stepped over to the comm station. "Here you go, Commander." Julia nodded. "Begin transmission."

(Kalos Facility, workspace)

Shawn put the finishing touches on the Mark Three armor, and looked at Matrix. "That should be it. Test it." The armor transformed into a suitcase. Picking it up, he smiled. "That was easy." Matrix spoke up. "Sir, I'm detecting a signal on the open frequency." Shawn faced him. "Octo Canyon?" Matrix replied, "Yes, sir." Shawn sighed. "Audio only." Matrix replied, "Yes, sir." The voice of the commander of the settlement came through. "To the human in the old ship, I request your help. No, it has nothing to do with Inklings. Our mining force found something that we don't understand. Perhaps you can tell us what it is."

Shawn sighed. "Open a channel. Audio only." Matrix did so. "Active, sir." Shawn approached the comm setup. "I'm going to need proof that this has nothing to do with Inklings before I help you." The voice came through again. "We will send you an image of what we found." Shawn muted the comm, then faced Matrix. "Scan the image for malware, computer bugs, viruses, or anything that looks suspicious." Matrix nodded. The image came through, and Matrix faced Shawn. "No malware, computer bugs, viruses, or suspicious data detected, sir." Shawn nodded. "Display image."

Shawn looked at the image on the screen, and gasped. "It can't be..." Matrix looked at the image, and said, "Perhaps you should investigate this matter." Shawn nodded. "Reactivate the mic." Matrix nodded, and Shawn approached it. "I'll be there shortly. Tell your miners to clear the area." He donned the Mark Three armor, and faced Matrix. "Open the airlock on Deck 17." He walked to Deck 17, and launched out of the airlock at full speed.

(Octo Canyon, a few minutes later)

Julia stood on the platform above the surface, her troops standing beside her. As the human came into view, he was wearing a new suit of armor, black in color with gold highlights. He landed in front of them, and faced them. "As you can see, I've been busy since our last meeting." Julia nodded. "I can see that. Your last suit was only damaged when we used a knife, and even then, it barely phased you." The human nodded. "Let's go. I think I know what it is, but I want to be sure." She nodded. "This way." Julia led him through the settlement towards the mines.

Upon passing by one of the power rooms, Shawn scanned it. "You use uranium for a power source?" Julia faced him. "You know the name of it?" Shawn nodded. "It was very valuable at one point in time." Julia faced him, amazed. "What did humans use for power?" Shawn faced her. "We had quite a few methods. We used solar panels to use the energy from the sun, lunar panels for the moon's energy, we could even use water for energy. Even with our advancements, we couldn't stop Team Aqua from doing what they did."

Julia cocked her head. "Who?" Shawn sighed. "Never mind. I shouldn't have mentioned them. Anyway, I do have an idea, one that would solve your power problem, as long as you stop your attacks on Inklings, permanently. This fighting must stop. It's just wasting valuable time and resources, it's ridiculous, and that war you fought over a century ago is basically forgotten by Inklings now." Julia looked at the power room, and then looked back at him. "You say the past doesn't matter?" Shawn rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying that. I'm saying old grievances don't matter."

Julia thought that over. Shawn continued. "You can use Starkonium, a man-made metal, as a power source. I can synthesize it, but you must fulfill my conditions. I'll have the Inklings follow the same conditions." Julia thought that over. "How do you know they'll keep their end of the bargain?" Shawn faced her. "They're not soldiers. They're just kids having a good time. Inklings are lazy to a fault, but they make up for it with enthusiasm." He looked at the doorway. "We should continue on. If I'm right, your kind could be in danger."

Julia faced him in shock as they walked on. "What do you mean?" He faced her. "The object in the image you sent is a chrysalis. It specifically contains a Legendary Pokemon, called Groudon, the Legendary of the Land." Julia stopped in her tracks. "Lord Groudon, the God of the Earth? He is in Octo Canyon?!" Shawn's mask popped open, and he faced her with a confused look. "How do you know his name?" Julia replied, "A millenium ago, centuries before we first encountered Inklings, we came across an old flash drive from the time of your people. It took two years to translate it. The list of the gods was on it."

Shawn sighed. "And you've been worshiping them ever since." Julia nodded. When they reached the cavern, Shawn's facemask closed and he began to scan the chrysalis. "Yeah, it's Groudon, all right. This is the third Legendary I've encountered in person." Julia faced him, curious. "You've met two of the other gods?" Shawn resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Reshiram and Zekrom. They sought me out, and said they'd pass on the word to the other Legendaries about me." As he finished speaking, Groudon's chrysalis began to crack, indicating it was coming out.

Shawn sighed, and said, "I'll try to reason with him. This will take a good amount of tact, and no small degree of charm, which is why you will leave the talking to me." Groudon's chrysalis exploded, and Julia leapt away from it. Shawn's armor was hit by chunks, but suffered no damage. Groudon rose to his full height, then opened his eyes. They were set on Shawn and Julia. Facing the Octoling, Shawn said, "Don't do anything stupid-." Julia immediately dropped to her knees and bowed before Groudon. "Please forgive us, my lord. We did not mean to disturb your rest." Shawn facepalmed. "Like that."

Groudon was silent for a moment, and spoke. "**Calm yourself, Commander Traeger. You did not disturb my rest. It was time for my awakening.**" Facing Shawn, he said, "**Zekrom and Reshiram have spoken of your self-proclaimed mission to defend the survivors of the Kalos region.**" Shawn nodded. "I am acting captain of the Kalos Facility, after all." Groudon nodded. "**They have spoken of that as well. Welcome, captain. Tell me, based on your encounters with the Octarian race, what are they like?**" Shawn had a guess as to why Groudon was asking him that, but answered honestly.

"They're aggressive, violent, incredibly stubborn, and very vengeful. They have a lot to learn as a species. But for their flaws, they do have one thing going for them: they're brilliant mechanics." Groudon nodded. "**If you were to judge their species, what would you have done to them?**" Concerned about that question, but not wanting to risk unnecessary fight, he said, "I'd find an area of land that Inklings haven't claimed, and put them there, the ones who refuse to see the truth about their leadership. As for those who already left the settlements, I'd leave them be. They're aspiring, making themselves better people."

Groudon nodded, satisfied with his answer. "**Arceus will like that answer. However, moving them to another land will not be necessary. Their eyes will be opened soon enough.**" Looking at Julia, he said, "**Tell your settlement this. The armies of Octo Canyon are to disband. Any zapfish that remains in the settlement are to be returned to Inkopolis. You will then negotiate an alliance with the New Squidbeak Splatoon. If you do not, Arceus herself will declare judgment upon you.**" Julia nodded. "It shall be done, my lord."

She was trembling in fear. Part of Shawn found it amusing, and the other part actually felt sorry for the poor Octoling. Groudon faced Shawn again. "**I do have a task for you, captain. Kyogre has been missing ever since the second Primal Reversion. Arceus has asked for your help in locating her.**" Shawn sighed. "Did you guys check the Seafloor Cavern or the Cave of Origins?" Groudon chuckled. "**We've searched the Cave of Origins. We were not able to reach the Seafloor Cavern, because of how high the water levels were at that time.**"

Shawn nodded. "Where's the Hoenn region now? Because of the Primal Reversion, the charts on the Kalos Facility are outdated." Groudon replied, "**You are already in the Hoenn region. It was the first to be flooded, and is currently the only one that has been restore**d." Shawn nodded. "Which means we're not far from the Seafloor Cavern. I'll check it out as soon as I can." Groudon nodded. "**Take care, captain. It will not be easy to reach it.**" Shawn nodded. "I'll take precautions." Groudon nodded. "**Good luck, captain**." With that, Groudon vanished, leaving no trace.

Shawn glanced at Julia, who was trembling on the floor in fear. He rolled his eyes. "Come on. You've got work to do." She nodded. Facing him, she said, "Thank you for coming today. What can we call you?" Facing her, he said, "You can call me SoftWare." With that, he walked out, and once he reached the surface, he took off towards the Kalos Facility at full speed. On the way, he commed Matrix, telling him to determine their exact location, and to send him the coordinates.

**A/N**

**This chapter took me months to work on. So yes, the land that Inklings reside in in this universe is actually the Hoenn region. The island that had Sootopolis City is where Octo Canyon is, with the closest island to the mainland in that area being Octo Valley. Somewhere south-ish of Octo Canyon is where the Seafloor Cavern rests. While Julia is working to fulfill Groudon's command, the troubles from Octo Canyon are not quite over.**


End file.
